Southern Utah Track & Field successfully opened the 2012 indoor season today with record-breaking performances on both the men’s and women’s sides at Northern Arizona’s Lumberjack Invitational.

“We had really good marks up and down the board,” head coach Eric Houle said. “I think our first meet has proved successful in terms of both personal improvement and school records.”

Cameron Levins led the distance team with a second-place finish and time of 1:50.94 in the 800-meters. Levins cut two seconds off his previous personal record of 1:52.4, set in 2009, and moved up to a second-place rank in Southern Utah's top-ten records.

Freshman Austin West raced his way into the record books in his first collegiate track meet with second-place finishes in the mile and 3,000-meter run. West’s mile time of 4:09.79 ranks sixth in SUU's records, while his 3,000-meter time of 8:21.84 ranks seventh. Nate Jewkes followed closely in the 3,000-meters with a third-place finish and time of 8:23.46.

The women’s distance team was led by Diana Medina-Mitchell, who finished second in the 800-meters with a time of 2:14.82. Medina-Mitchell’s time ranks fifth in SUU’s records. Danielle West followed closely behind her, finishing fourth in the 800-meters with a time of 2:20.23.

Whitney Curtis finished second in the mile (5:12.53) and third in the 3,000-meters (10:36.72), while Madalyn Jones raced to a second-place finish in the 3,000-meters (10:11.14) and fourth-place finish in the mile (5:13.83).

Kyle Kopp and Stephen Wilson led the men in the long jump. Kopp’s third-place mark of 23-7.5 ties for second in the SUU records, while Wilson’s mark of 21-10.25 ties for 10th. Chelsea Morley represented the women with a tie for fifth-place in the high jump and mark of 5-1.75.

Kayla Kovar improved both her record in the shot put and weight throw at NAU. Her second-place shot put mark of 51-1 is a new school record for SUU, adding more than a foot to her 2011 record of 49-8.5. Her sixth-place weight throw mark of 55-9.75 also improves her previous third-place record of 52-0.5 by close to four feet.

Sadi Hoyt also left her mark on the weight throw records with a 10th-place mark of 48-9.5. Hoyt’s mark ranks 10th in the school’s top 10.

Chris Johnson led the men’s throwing team with a seventh-place mark of 53-1.75 in the shot put. Johnson's mark ranks fourth in Southern Utah's records and improves his previous record of 49-9.25 by nearly three feet.

The Thunderbirds will be back in competition next weekend when they travel to Albuquerque, N.M. for New Mexico's Cherry & Silver Invitational on Jan. 20-21.